Speakers
-
Anatolii AlbinMoldova
Lawyer, business management consultant, public and civic sector, entrepreneur, trainer, gardener. Solid knowledge in law, economics, environment and management.
Promoter of Peasants’ Rights. He was actively involved in supporting the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants by the UN General Assembly on December 17, 2018. -
Alvina AvagyanArmenia
Dr. Alvina Avagyan graduated from the Faculty of Biology of Yerevan State University
and the Armenian Agricultural Institute, holds a PhD in Biology. She has nearly 30 years of experience in the conservation and sustainable use of crop diversity and has published over 115 research papers in this field. She currently serves as a Lead Researcher and Genebank Manager at the Scientific Center of Vegetable and Industrial Crops in Armenia.
In 2012, Dr. Avagyan was awarded the N.I. Vavilov Medal in recognition of her
contributions to the conservation of plant genetic resource collections. Her professional affiliations include membership in the Council of the International Society for Horticultural Science and the IUCN Species Survival Commission. She also serves as the National Coordinator for the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources (ECPGR) and as the National Focal Point for EURISCO. Her extensive experience includes serving as an international expert in numerous projects implemented by the FAO, European Union, World Bank, and UNDP. -
Mukhabad MamadalievaTajikistan
is the Head of the NGO Zan va Zamin and a Candidate of Biological Sciences. With extensive experience in environmental protection and sustainable development, she has led and implemented more than 20 projects in Dushanbe and across the districts of the Khatlon region of Tajikistan. Her work focuses on biodiversity conservation, community engagement, and strengthening local initiatives for environmental sustainability. Together with her colleagues, she actively promotes practical solutions for preserving ecosystems and supporting resilient communities.
-
Aida JamangulovaHead of the Public Foundation Agency of Initiatives for Development (AID)
Aida Jamangulova is the Head of the Public Foundation Agency of Initiatives for Development (AID). With over 20 years of experience, she has been actively working on local seed systems, agrobiodiversity conservation, and sustainable rural development. Her work focuses on protecting farmers’ rights to seeds, strengthening community-based seed initiatives, and promoting biodiversity as a foundation for food security and resilient agricultural systems. Through her leadership, AID supports local farmers and contributes to the preservation of traditional knowledge and genetic resources.
Other Organizers
-
Seed community of East Europe and Central Asia
WS 6: Farmers’ Seed Systems in the Region of Central Asia and Eastern Europe: Experience, Challenges and Future Directions
Seed systems in represented region have been shaped by a shared historical legacy, similar institutional transformations, and ongoing socio-economic transitions. Across the region, farmers continue to play a central role in maintaining seed diversity, adapting crops to local agroecological conditions, and ensuring food security at the territorial level. During all this process farmer’s seed systems were mostly informal, being concentrated on local needs and preferences. At the same time, seed systems face growing challenges, including regulatory changes, market concentration, climate pressures, loss of traditional varieties, and limited recognition of farmer-managed seed systems within national policies. In this context, farmer’s (informal ) seed systems are the most vulnerable to the threats in different ways.
In the region where the majority of countries are Post-Soviet informal seed systems were on the way to disappear, first due to restructuring of agricultural sector ( forced collectivization) and second after USSR collapse. Dramatic economical and demographic processes like massive rural outflows had reduced the organizational capacity of small farmers and crop diversity.
Nevertheless over the last decades a number of local initiatives in the region had increased. Seeds production on family and community level became a popular subject to address within civil society. Small Farmers, households, activists, urban communities expressed a great interest in developing local food production systems, the objective out of resilient seed systems is hard to achieve.
This side event aims to create a dialogue space between Central Asia and Central and Eastern Europe, regions that share historical experiences but have followed different policy and institutional pathways since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. By bringing together speakers from Armenia, Tajikistan, Moldova, and Kyrgyzstan, the discussion will highlight practical experiences, ongoing challenges, and emerging approaches to strengthening resilient and inclusive seed systems.
The session will also explore opportunities for cooperation between civil society, farmer organizations, researchers, and policy actors across regions. Particular attention will be given to how regional exchange and collaboration can support evidence-based advocacy, strengthen the visibility of farmer perspectives in policy processes, and contribute to more balanced and sustainable seed governance frameworks.
Expected Outcomes
The event is expected to go beyond strengthening dialogue by fostering meaningful knowledge sharing and structured exchange between Central Asian and European stakeholders working on seed systems. It will create space for mutual learning across diverse political, legal, and agroecological contexts, highlighting both common challenges and region-specific experiences. Particular attention will be given to exploring pathways for the complementary coexistence of formal and farmers’ seed systems, recognizing their respective roles in biodiversity conservation, resilience, and food security.
The event will contribute to elevating the visibility of Central Asian and post-Soviet experiences in regional and global policy discussions, while also encouraging stronger national-level engagement among participating actors. It is expected to support the integration of farmer-led knowledge and community-based seed practices into policy processes at national, regional, and international levels.
Beyond dialogue and partnerships, the discussion aims to stimulate concrete follow-up actions, including the identification of funding opportunities, collaborative initiatives, and joint advocacy efforts.
Related Events
